I'm back from hiatus. Thank you for your patience!
Chapter CXI
Ancient memories - now restored,
By those who sealed away the gourd,
Return to Spring, as her eyes awaken,
To every truth time had forsaken.
~x~
Winter sunlight filtered through the dense, silent forest surrounding the Underworld's well-concealed entrance. The phantom fingers of roiling, icy tendrils of low mist crept through the gaps between the tall trees, seeking to snag anything that dared move through the undergrowth.
Though it was located upon the surface, the forest belonged to the outermost boundaries of the Underworld, and as a result was well protected from mortal detection and intrusion. Any hapless human who happened to stumble too close to its borders soon found themselves lost in a thick blanket of impenetrable fog, which would inevitably lead them back to the same point at which they had first arrived. Making it impossible for them to navigate through the forest and discover the entrance to the Kingdom of the Dead.
Only the souls of the deceased knew their way there. Only they were permitted to pass through the shadow barriers and ancient wards that prevented any living mortal from setting foot into the Underworld; a realm strictly forbidden to their eyes until their souls were called unto it.
He could hear them. The incessant calls and howls of those who had passed on tugged at him, pleading for release from the anguish of their worldly lives. Familiar cries that had burdened him without reprieve from the moment he had first awoken his powers, silencing only at the moment of his death - only to stir once more when he had regained consciousness at Lethe's edge.
Thanatos had not missed those sounds. A cacophony of terrible voices that had taken many hours of concealed, frustrated tears, silent suffering, discipline and focus throughout his childhood to learn to control. The alternative - to allow the dead to wail freely between his ears - would have caused him to lose his sanity, for the voices never, ever ceased. If allowed to run rampant, if they were not mastered, they were maddening and deafening, capable of robbing away all thought, all sense from even the most resilient of minds.
For every waking second humans died, succumbing to old age, to illness, to accident, to stupidity, or to misfortune of another sort. Every waking second, the numbers increased, and he felt the undeniable pull of his function, calling him to the surface to collect that which was his divine right to receive.
The voices were a jumble of all the many languages mortals spoke, languages he could perfectly understand by virtue of what he was. They filled his head, begging him, cursing him, praying that he would collect - or that he never arrived at all. The dead could not be denied. And they had suffered, lingering in limbo, for long enough.
Born into his function, he had never been required to visit the location of every individual dying mortal in order to reap their soul - not unless he specifically chose to do so. In the past, his frequent surface visits in the company of his faithful cousin had been a welcome respite from the stifling politics of the Underworld's court, and the ever-watching eyes of its brutish, scheming Overlord and his network of spies. Back then, Itachi had strategically chosen to collect often, the purpose of his role affording him precious time alone to reflect.
But although he ordinarily only became visible to mortals breathing their very last breaths, the case was not the same with immortals. With the Titans freed from their imprisonment, Itachi had no doubt that Cronus' minions were already planted far and wide across the land. Being seen by the enemy, while he and Shisui possessed the element of surprise, was simply not an option, which meant neither was venturing beyond the boundaries of the forest at that moment.
Itachi slowly lifted his right hand, compelled by his function to fulfil his duty and the purpose of his existence. Long, ring-adorned fingers splayed outwards, as he closed his eyes and focused on the divine connection he shared with the souls of the newly deceased.
Come to me, he telepathically commanded, summoning them to his location.
No sooner had he given the order, he felt the familiar hum of supernatural energy surrounding him as souls near and far rapidly converged to the forest, drawn in like metal fragments to an irresistible magnet. There were hundreds and hundreds of them, thousands, oppressive and pulsing with so many emotions, that had he not been so accustomed to blocking them out, Itachi might have been smothered by them. He sensed them, the way they glowed with an array of different colours; those bound to hell stained so sickly that there was no vestige of purity left within them, while those that belonged to the good were brighter and drifted lighter.
They swirled around him, their cries and wails and sighs blending together until they were a rushing howl of wind tearing at his hair and cloak. Abruptly they dissipated as he sent them on their way to the Underworld's entrance, where the gravity and ancient laws of the realm would claim them to begin their journey into the heart of the Kingdom of the Dead.
Itachi released a soundless sigh, lowering his arm as the pressure of drawing the souls to his form eased. No sooner had it done so, he began to hear fresh calls. More dead, more hearts seconds away from stilling. A tragic cycle that was never-ending.
He paused in his duty, tuning out the sounds until they became a low hum, and turned his face up to catch the sunlight, feeling its distant warmth against his skin for the first time in millennia. Inhaling deeply, he filled his lungs with cool, crisp surface air, and attempted to reconcile the contradictory emotions that continued to war within his chest.
It ought not to be, and yet - against all logic, against all explanation - it was. He lived. He breathed. He felt. For all his gifts of planning and foresight, nothing could have ever prepared him for an occurrence so unexpected.
Dry, shrivelled leaves crunched underfoot as his loyal cousin drew to a stop beside him. After the two had raced their horses to the Underworld's entrance gates, and Shisui had questionably called a tie to their contest, they had left behind their mounts and ascended together to the surface.
"Who could have ever envisaged this? That we would feel the sun's warmth upon our faces again?" Shisui exhaled, a hint of appreciative awe to his words. Words that mirrored Itachi's own thoughts.
Itachi quietly exhaled, opening his eyes again to take in the sight of the bare trees towering high above their heads, their tangled boughs reaching up to a clear blue sky that was scattered with drifting white clouds. For all the spectacular phantom skies the Underworld contained, the magnificence of the surface's remained unrivalled.
"Cold, barren and silent. This forest has not changed one bit," Shisui remarked, treading forward to press a palm against the bark of a nearby tree.
"Yet how altered the mortal realm will be beyond it." Itachi gestured with a hand to summon a murder of crows into being. They materialised from plumes of shadow in a flurry of flapping wings, encircling both deities before settling onto the boughs of the trees closest to the pair.
The largest amongst them, and appointed leader of the group, ruffled its wings before swooping down to perch obediently upon the right arm its master extended to receive it.
"Without a doubt," Shisui agreed. "It has been over two thousand years since we last walked this earth. The world will have changed much beyond recognition." After a pause, he released a wry chuckle. "I suspect we are in for quite a shock. I look forward to discovering just how far mortal civilization has grown."
"A fanciful wish," Itachi replied, expression solemn.
Shisui snorted. "Blazing stars above. Must everything be a tragedy with you?"
Itachi flicked a nonchalant glance at him. "By virtue of my duty…" he began pointedly, before deliberately allowing his words to trail off.
Hypnos cast his eyes skywards, seeking patience from the heavens. "For one in possession of such unexpected wit, I really wonder that you do not speak more often around others, cousin. That they might suffer as much as I."
"They would suffer far less," Itachi remarked.
Shisui released a defeated sigh. "I suppose that is because you have always favoured my company a great deal over any of our other cousins."
Itachi tilted his head slightly, considering the statement. After a brief pause, he conceded, "You are tolerable enough."
A surprised bark of laughter filled the air. "Tolerable!" The God of Sleep exclaimed. "Hah! Am I, indeed? How gracious of you to say so, Lord Thanatos."
A small, amused smirk curved itself on Itachi's lips. "You might choose your words more carefully, Shisui."
"You know what I meant," Shisui fired back. "I speak not of seeking out such things now, of course. We've far more important matters to attend to, but perhaps after all of this is over…" His voice trailed off, laced with an edge of wistfulness that filled Itachi with a sudden sadness, promptly erasing all traces of the short-lived amusement he had felt but a moment earlier.
Itachi blinked. He had given no thought to an after. The ability to plan anything for his own future had been robbed from him from a young age by The Fates, and he was not prepared to entertain any false hopes that his unexpected, revived existence would result in a happier outcome a second time around. And he considered it very dangerous for Shisui not to do the same.
But he chose not to respond, unwilling to cast a shadow over his dear cousin's own fragile hopes of potentially making it out of their next confrontation with Cronus alive.
"Find the Olympian goddess, Demeter of the Harvest," he instead murmured to the crow on his arm.
The crow cocked its head to one side, listening intently as he continued telepathically, 'Carry tidings to her that the hour of Kore's divine resurrection shall soon come to pass. That anon, Hades shall bear her to the surface for that purpose. It is incumbent upon Demeter to make haste and ready for the ritual. Return not to my side until these preparations are complete.'
He met the crow's gaze. The bird's intelligent eyes gleamed in understanding. Adding the order to communicate to him immediately any sightings of Titans, disturbances or attacks against mortal villages along the course of the group's flight, or anything else amiss, Itachi then nodded at his summon, permitting it to depart.
It sprung lightly along the vambrace on his forearm and swiftly took flight, cawing out loudly to the others to follow behind. Hypnos and Thanatos watched as they launched themselves into the air, flitting gracefully between the trees after their leader, until they soon scattered apart and vanished out of sight entirely.
The cousins then continued to walk through the trees in companionable, reflective silence, breathing in the earthy scent of the previous night's rain that lingered in the forest.
"I know it is foolish to consider a future at all, when the circumstances behind our resurrection feel so unnatural." Shisui's voice broke through the hush. "In truth, I do confess, I know not how to feel about living again."
When only silence met his ears, he cast a questioning look across at his pensive cousin as they wove through the trees. "Is this not unsettling that we find ourselves in possession of choices and chances that were stolen from us in the past?"
Itachi kept his gaze trained carefully on the branches overhead. The truth was that he did feel greatly unsettled - more than he could ever dare to let on and admit aloud. Old, deeply-rooted worries, worries he had believed he'd relinquished at the point of his sacrifice, had returned, determined to gnaw away at his peace of mind once again. And with them, came the fresh apprehension over the fate of humanity and the divine world order as they knew it. The future hung in the balance, the threat of Cronus looming stronger than ever before. It was a grim reality to be thrust back into, and a part of him lamented that he had been returned to it at all, pained by both the mercy and cruelty of being granted a surprising second chance.
He had seen the myriad of emotions that had passed across Sasuke's face when he had discovered that two members of his kin had been unexpectedly restored to him. Behind the hurt, behind the stunned bewilderment, behind the disbelief and the anger and confusion, had been hope - and a tentative, fragile happiness. Emotions Itachi was loath to steal from his little brother again.
Their initial passing had broken Sasuke, Itachi knew, and their return had helped to mend that hurt, healing a pure heart that had been shattered into shards. Iron-heavy dread weighed deeply within Thanatos' gut, when he considered the troubling possibility that his and Shisui's resurrections were only temporary. Such agitating, tormenting thoughts had crossed his mind repeatedly. Were the effects of Hecate's life-trade permanent? Or were they restored merely on borrowed time? Neither he nor Shisui were familiar with the forbidden workings the Goddess of the Crossroads had cast that had compelled their souls back to their preserved physical shells. Neither of them could anticipate the long-term repercussions of such an unholy technique.
What if they were only intended to return for a short duration as pawns once more, long enough to see the threat of Cronus resolved before being recalled to the void again? The Fates had not yet made their opinions on the matter of their unnatural restoration known, but Itachi knew them well enough. He knew that losing Hecate in such a manner, especially without their consent, would have infuriated the three sisters. What if they sought retribution? What if, once they deemed his and Shisui's purposes spent, they cast workings of their own to reverse whatever seals Hecate had wrought, thus snuffing them both out of existence once more?
He had hardened his heart and fully accepted the inevitability of his own demise once before already. Yet this time, Itachi found he could not bear the thought, was sickened by the mere prospect of destroying his sibling's delicate joy at having half of his family back. An icy, unshakeable fear plagued his heart; that this time he might fail to protect his beloved little brother, that he would once again be the cause of Sasuke's suffering. For as much jubilance as it had brought the three to be reunited, Itachi knew it would have been far kinder to Sasuke had they remained dead.
For with their resurrected bonds, he knew that Sasuke would not dare take his eyes off them for even a moment. That he would keep them close, would do everything in his power to protect them from harm, to ensure that this time, they did survive.
Just as they were prepared to do for him. Just as Sasuke's welfare and well-being had always been their first priority, with their return, they had become his. Such was the gift - and the curse - of the deep family ties and love shared by the Uchiha.
With the Rinnegan in his possession, Sasuke's eyes were capable of seeing the world around him with perfect clarity, Itachi knew. Hades was no longer as he once had been. He was stronger. Wiser. Had grown fiercer, and become a true force to be reckoned with. And although they had agreed to no more secrets between them, Itachi could not shift the nagging suspicion that perhaps his precious sibling harboured some of his own.
"To think," Shisui was going on, "that it is no longer required of us to account for our every whereabouts. That the time we choose to spend on the surface will no longer be monitored. Nor are we beleaguered by the scrutiny and politics of court, and the many tedious, time-consuming tasks that were once assigned to us. Look at Sasuke. He has managed to rule the Kingdom well enough all on his own."
Itachi blinked. "The Crown remains a burden."
"Yet he has carried its weight with remarkable grace, wisdom and forbearance. He chose to protect our realm, to ensure that it endured. Just as we wished."
Itachi said nothing to that. Back then, they'd had no choice but to entrust the throne and the future of the Underworld to Sasuke. There had been no alternative available. But with their return…
Itachi wondered, if given the choice, whether Sasuke would choose to be free of the throne and its many responsibilities. Whether deep inside his heart, a part of his little brother still longed for and mourned the carefree life that had been torn far too soon from him. Or whether the harshness of time had eroded such dreams, and hardened him beyond the ability to ever return to such a simple existence.
It was Itachi's dearest wish to see Sasuke untroubled and free. To see him live a life full of love, a life of his own choosing, happy and unplagued by the weight of any expectations. Expectations which had been intended for firstborns. For older brothers.
He drew to a stop, hesitating, before quietly confiding to his cousin, "I would that he were free."
At Itachi's words, Shisui halted, and glanced at him over his left shoulder for a long moment. Then he turned, walking back until he came to a stop before Thanatos, knowing eyes scanning his kin's features intently.
Where others saw a blank slate of indifference, Shisui's trained eyes detected otherwise. He could discern, all too clearly, the troubles that swirled beneath the surface of that deceptively calm gaze.
"Cousin," he began patiently, a warning look in his eyes. "Those are your wishes. What of Sasuke's? Suppose he desires to rule. Those who wear the Crown become it. That is perhaps one of only a few truths Madara has ever told us. It has been over two-thousand years since Sasuke ascended the throne. Believe you that he can simply walk away from centuries of dominion?" He shook his head, prompting an unruly curl of black hair to fall over his eyes.
"He is not the same innocent young Hades we once carried upon our shoulders. His suffering has sharpened him. Altered him. Now, he is the Crown. It is as much a part of him, as he is of it. It is not a privilege that is abdicated with such ease. And why would he wish to, when he commands such power?"
"You are mistaken, Shisui," Itachi disagreed softly, meeting his cousin's gaze levelly. "The throne has no loyalty. It requires only a rightful heir."
Shisui's eyebrows arched. "That may be so. It may well accept you in his place - were he to yield it. You were first in line to inherit it back then, and so you are, once again. But Sasuke is king. What makes you think he will relinquish it to you, were you to propose the suggestion to him? That he would be willing to allow you to take his place?"
Itachi stared at him in silence.
"We always wished for him to be free of burden; has it not occurred to you, perhaps, that Sasuke desires the same for you and I?" Shisui pressed. "Especially now that he knows the truth?"
Itachi's long-lashed eyes lowered. The ghostly demons of the past were difficult to exorcise. They haunted him, urging him to atone in any way he could. To lighten the crushing weight Sasuke carried upon his shoulders. A weight that ought to have been Itachi's to bear in his stead. Their parents had asked him to take care of Sasuke, and the instinct to do so burned stronger than ever within him.
Shisui sighed. "I understand why you would desire to take the burden from him. It is the very same reason I wish I could take each last one of yours from you. You seek to protect him, as ever you have."
He placed a comforting hand on Thanatos' shoulder. "But Sasuke is our King, and our return does not alter that fact, Itachi. We may offer him our counsel, yet forget not that he has ruled for as long as we have been dead. Expect that there will likely be instances when he chooses to refuse to heed our advice, regardless of our opinions on the matter.
"We cannot override his wishes. We are his kin, but it would be no less treason were we to defy his orders, or attempt to deceive him as we once did. We kept secrets from him out of necessity back then. He has already made plain that we are to be candid in all our affairs with him."
"I have intention not to deceive him," Itachi stated, gaze flicking back up. "I wish only for him to understand that before him now stands a possibility of choice."
"And you may convey that choice to him, by all means," Shisui agreed. "But you must also accept that with our return, the Crown still remains his responsibility. It is not yours, and has not been since we cast those seals at Tartarus' edge."
Itachi remained quiet.
"Regardless, you can offer him nothing until we understand for certain how it is we came to be here. Do not plan anything in haste. We do not know how long our souls will remain tethered to this earthly plane, nor anything of the technique Lady Hecate cast. It is one thing to share harmless wishes of yearning to explore the world," Shisui cautioned. "Quite another to offer freedom from the throne."
Shisui was echoing his own earlier thoughts. Questions neither of them had answers to, which made looking toward any future difficult.
"Sasuke intends to honour her with the same burial she granted to us in Lethe; who is to say that she, too, cannot be restored once The Fates see our purpose spent?" Shisui mused. "You are still a servant to them, and we do not yet know whether Hecate's function has passed to another." Giving his cousin's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, he finished, "Let us first be assured of our own existence, before we plan for a future we are not yet guaranteed to see."
"No future is set in stone." Itachi reminded him. "Even The Fates do not see all."
"No. But how bittersweet it is, to imagine that should our return be permanent, we might have a chance to truly live, Itachi."
Shisui's expression softened with affection as he drew his hand away. "You, more than anyone else I have ever known, deserve that."
Itachi was silent as Shisui began to walk ahead once again, and Hypnos did not hear the words Thanatos thought privately to himself before he quietly followed after his older cousin.
As do you and Sasuke.
~x~
They lay snuggled close together, limbs tangled beneath the dark silken sheets of the King's bed. Though they had paused in their love-making, they found themselves unable to keep their hands from each other, fingertips stroking over cooling skin as they gazed at one another in quiet awe and in silent wonder, coming to terms with the complete reunion of both their minds and bodies.
Every single touch had been passionate, consuming and desperate, igniting them with searing flames as if they had both been doused with gasoline. Sakura had felt the fine, unsteady tremors in Sasuke's fingers as he had removed the clothing from her body, trembles mirrored in her own hands as she had sobbed and kissed him with a senseless urgency that had caused everything else to fade away around them. They had made love many times before, yet never with such breathless need. Never with such raw, unguarded, vulnerable feeling.
Their hearts, once divided and fractured, had finally healed as one.
For Sakura, it was the most peculiar sensation, remembering her first life with such vivid clarity, her original identity as the Goddess of Spring blending seamlessly with memories of her present life. Restored to her also was her awareness of her past romance with Sasuke, every detail of everything they had once been to one another, and everything they had become.
Destiny had come around in a full circle. Against all odds, they had been reunited and found their way back into each other's arms.
When she had first awoken, her disoriented mind had been overrun with confusion and fear, with jumbled, chaotic flashbacks that had raced before her eyes, and all she had felt had been panic and pain. For those terrifying few minutes, Sakura had not known herself, had been unable to distinguish between her past and present memories, so overwhelmed had her consciousness been by the flooding onslaught of agonising, long-lost recollections. Seeing Sasuke again had rained terror down upon her, an instinctive reaction deeply rooted within her newly unlocked past memories and psyche. Every single reflex in her body had screamed at her to flee, to run from him.
But his Rinnegan had swiftly captured her mind, helping her sift through the memories, placing order to them whilst allowing her to also view events from his perspective, and once everything had settled and fallen back into place, Sakura had known the truth at last. She'd remembered everything he had told her about the past just before he had removed the first layer of her seal. And finally, she had been able to reconcile that past with the present.
Looking into his beautiful dark eyes, Sakura's heart ached to recall how madly and hopelessly in love with Hades she had been back then, how bright and innocent that first love had been. A love now magnified given the renewal and restoration of their bond, and everything they had been through together.
Hades had meant everything to her. Her mind had been consumed by thoughts of him night and day. Like one possessed, she'd yearned to see him, craved to be close to him, longed to speak to him and touch him. He had looked at her with such heat and sinful promises in that smouldering gaze, that her world had been set ablaze whenever he had taken her into his arms and kissed her.
When he had abandoned her in the forest, it had broken her heart. Everything had fallen apart after that. All joy and hope had been sucked out of her, and she remembered the crippling pain of believing he had betrayed her when her body had started to defy its own divine function. When it had laid waste to the earth everywhere she had stepped, and the immense suffering she had experienced after he had released her back onto the surface.
She remembered the excruciating agony of losing her divinity and strength, of perishing away like a mortal. The lingering trauma of that memory gave birth to a tight, barbed-wire knot deep within her chest. Shuddering, Sakura closed her eyes and buried her face against the warm sanctuary of Sasuke's bare chest.
He drew the covers higher over her shoulders, then stroked his fingertips down her back comfortingly, tenderly.
"Sakura." Her name was murmured in a quiet hush, as softly as the pitter-patter of drizzling rain. As if Sasuke feared that speaking too loudly would break the bubble of bliss that had settled around them after they had been truly reunited. Yet she heard the concern and unspoken question in his voice.
"I'm alright," Sakura reassured him, drawing in a deep, steadying breath. Lifting her head to meet his searching midnight gaze, she whispered in awe, "I can't believe we found each other again. It's just… so much to take in."
His eyes traced over her features, as if he could not look away, as if he never wished to look anywhere else.
"I used to be so afraid," Sakura confided softly. "Of getting my memories back. I was scared I'd lose myself, that the old me would somehow wash away who I am now, but instead it feels like…" She paused, trying to find the right words to express the complex emotions swirling within her.
"It feels like I'm finally awake, like I finally know who I really am, what I'm capable of doing. I remember everything, Sasuke-kun. Not just about us, but my life before we met, too. I remember what it was like creating life, and how it felt losing that gift." Drawing gentle circles over his skin, she added, "And now that I know the truth, I feel like I can make peace with all the pain. Like I'm saying goodbye to that old version of me, and can finally let her go. Like I can finally accept everything, and move on from it, instead of being a prisoner to that fear."
Sasuke listened silently, fingers moving to caress her left side.
"I was so young and naive. I'm not the same person anymore. I'll never be that sheltered again. The way I used to think… all the things I believed back then, even about myself and the world and my role in it… everything's so different now. I'm different. If we hadn't crossed paths again, if you hadn't found me again, I never would've known my true self."
He pressed his lips reverently against her forehead in answer, and Sakura was overcome with warmth, her heart, body and soul basking in the glow of a steadfast, reciprocated, and unbreakable love. A love that had endured despite them being torn apart by time, and that she was certain, with every fibre of her being, would continue to endure, until all the stars in the sky burned out of existence and the universe itself collapsed.
Reaching up to cup his right cheek, she admitted in a sad whisper, "You've changed, too. You carried so much hardship, had everything taken from you." Tears stung at her eyes, and she didn't bother to keep them in check, heart breaking for the suffering and loss she knew had forced him to become a colder, harsher, more merciless version of the carefree, cocky Hades she had once known.
"I'm so sorry you had to carry your burdens alone for so long. But you're not alone anymore, Sasuke-kun. And none of this - none of it - was ever your fault. I should've known it in my heart back then; I should've known from the way you began to withdraw from me, that something wasn't right, that it wasn't you-"
"Sakura," he interrupted, eyebrows furrowing. "You aren't to blame for any of this. The mistake… was mine. I gave you no explanation."
"But I do blame myself." Plagued with shame, Sakura continued with remorse, "Because I was stupid enough to believe that you betrayed me. I listened to the poison Cronus fed me, instead of to what was inside my own heart. I'm so sorry for what I told you when he forced us to dance together. I didn't know the truth. I was afraid and blind and ignorant, and- and angry. Everything you said to me on that night you left me in the forest… I should've known things didn't add up. I should've known that you were only trying to protect me."
Sasuke's eyes lowered. "No. I should have told you the truth," he said quietly, a trace of bitterness to his words. "I thought I could contain it on my own. I should have told Naruto to keep you safe."
"How could you have known that Cronus would come after me? He set it all up to hurt us both. But everything's turned out just like your brother and cousin planned it." Steely resolve simmered in her tearful eyes. "Once I get my immortality back, I'll train as hard as I need to, to make sure that Cronus can't hurt you ever again. I won't let him, Sasuke-kun. I won't stop fighting for you, for us, for this world. Never."
An emotion too quick to decipher passed fleetingly across his eyes. Was it pain? Guilt? Grief? Raw love? Sakura felt a piercing stab deep within her chest. She couldn't stand the thought that even now, Sasuke felt responsible for the evil that had befallen her through no conscious choice of his own.
"Sakura," he began hoarsely. "Everything I've done- I-"
"Don't," she pressed an index finger against his lips in understanding, for everything he felt about the past, and about the present, about what they were, was reflected in the deepest chambers of her own heart. "Don't blame yourself for what that monster forced you to do. We've found each other. We get another chance, Sasuke-kun. I don't want to waste a second of it."
She leaned in to kiss him, featherlight and soft, and they abandoned talking as she raked her fingers through the wildly tousled locks of his dark hair, savouring the feel of the silky strands against her skin.
Ravenous for her, Sasuke snatched hold of her wrists and fluidly rolled over, pinning her to the bed beneath his weight. She gazed up at him, wide-eyed, enthralled and utterly bewitched, the air hitching in her lungs when his greedy lips lowered to trail fiery kisses along her jawline, before venturing down the sensitive column of her throat, sucking over the tender love-bites his teeth had already marked over her flesh during their earlier bouts of lovemaking.
Fresh desire clawed inside Sakura like a feral beast that could not be contained, and she closed her eyes, releasing a contented sigh as he began worshipping her body the way only he could.
Her heart skipped a beat, when he exhaled hotly against her ear, "Sakura. What am I to you?"
She gasped as he bit down on the junction between her neck and shoulder, marking her there in turn. Lifting his head, he then licked back up her throat with his tongue, before his lips came to hover inches from hers, sharing her air, consuming it, for all at once she could not draw a breath, was paralysed in place by his beauty, by how deeply she loved him, by how much it hurt.
His eyes smouldered like smoking embers, piercing through her, holding her captive, burning hotter than the scalding flames of Tartarus itself.
Burning for her.
"Tell me," he breathed, releasing her wrists to bury one hand in her long pastel tresses, while the other gently squeezed her right breast. There was an underlying gravity to the request, and an urgency to his touch that set her pulse thundering.
What was he to her? It was not that he did not know. In that moment, she knew he simply needed to hear her say it. To reassure him - before they disentangled themselves from one another in the bed and returned to the harsh reality of an impending war - that she loved him. That together, they would not falter. But for a few seconds, Sakura's voice failed her, as she found herself too overcome by the profound depth of her emotions to vocalise an immediate answer.
Silently, she reached out to move his hand, pressing it to the centre of her left breast.
"My heart." The words then slipped from her tongue without thought, spoken in an adoring whisper, like a secret between lovers. "My soul. My King. My everything."
She heard the breath catch quietly in his throat. He stared at her for a long moment in astonishment, a myriad of emotions dancing across those endless irises, twin pools of seductive darkness that had dragged her under, and had her drowning the instant their gazes had first met.
"Your King," he repeated, so quietly that she was not quite certain whether he had spoken aloud at all. Something in his expression shifted, becoming positively predatory. Full of need. The intensity and power of his gaze set Sakura's body on fire.
Tilting his head, he then ghosted his lips over hers, and uttered in a voice so low it was almost a growl, "Am I, Sakura…?"
The air in her lungs seized. How she ached. How she ached for him. It was not only a physical desire, but the desperate need to consume him, and to be consumed by him, in every sense of the word. For she had never wanted anything as much as she wanted him. Him. It had always been him. Her one. Her only.
Her Hades.
Sakura opened her mouth, but whatever else she might have replied was devoured by his lips as they crashed hungrily, possessively, roughly against hers in a claiming, blistering kiss. His hands moved to grip firmly onto her hips, fingers digging into her flesh as if he never intended to release her. And she never wanted him to let her go.
Sakura moaned softly into his mouth and wrapped her arms tightly around him, pulling him closer against her. Her legs parted on instinct, and her racing heart fluttered in anticipation as he shifted on top of her, closing the gap between their bodies to join them together in passion again.
~x~
After most of the mortals had retired for the evening in local makeshift shelters set up by the authorities, Suigetsu continued to labour tirelessly through the night. A few human volunteers worked late alongside him on the reconstruction of surrounding buildings, but exhaustion finally caused sleep to beckon to them, leaving Suigetsu to work alone.
"About freakin' time," he muttered to himself, snapping his fingers together to summon his element and hasten along the rebuilding process.
Why were humans so damn slow? It had been nothing short of torture, pretending to be a mortal man amongst them, lifting materials and transporting them back and forth, loading them onto machinery, helping to measure and hold planks of wood upright. He could have finished the task singlehandedly hours prior.
It was a punishment he knew he well deserved, and yet no real punishment at all, for the innocent lives that had been claimed as a result of actions he had taken while under the control of his enemies. How many men, women and helpless children had he prematurely sent to Sasuke's realm? It was nothing like the capsizing of ships in tempestuous seas, where humans had chosen to take the risk of sailing in treacherous waters and weather conditions. The tsunami that had stricken this village had been unexpected. Unnatural.
An absolute massacre.
Suigetsu glowered sullenly to himself as another beam landed quietly on top of a nearby building, carefully positioned to form the skeleton of a new roof. A family of three lived there - three of what had once been five. He'd overheard that a mother and a newborn had tragically been lost in the floods.
Swallowing down the bitter taste in his mouth, Suigetsu wondered when he had started caring so damned much. He had never paid much attention to humans and their lot. But now he saw everything with disturbing clarity. How they worked until their hands and nails peeled and bled, until their backs ached from bending over to lift and move heavy construction materials. The fear in their eyes that they desperately tried to hide from their children. How every emotion they experienced was so raw.
It was as if he were seeing them for the first time, through a new lens. An impossibly clear one that showed him every life was truly precious, for every human had people they cared deeply for, and to every single human, those people were their world.
Grumbling under his breath, he wrestled to shake the hollow feeling that weighed in the pits of his gut. He knew what the emotion was; perhaps it was divine karma that he was plagued with it, for he had done many mischievous and questionable things in his past, played all manner of tricks and stirred all kinds of trouble without experiencing a single ounce of guilt.
Hoisting up another beam with more force than was necessary, Suigetsu's eyes narrowed, glowing amethyst in the darkness. He couldn't change the past. He couldn't ever erase the horror of what his element had done here. But he had learned a valuable lesson from it. Samehada and Chiyo had chosen to help him, to restore him for a reason. And he knew now, what that reason had been.
'Blind you once were, yet now your sight will be unveiled. You have seen the truth of our enemy. You have felt its evil and malice.' The words Hecate had cryptically spoken to him when he'd awakened, renewed, within a body of water, replayed through his mind.
'An Olympian you once were, Poseidon. A seat you had amongst them. Your story is not yet at its end. Samehada itself has sensed it. The destruction of Olympus will lead to the destruction of your own kingdom. There will come a time when you must choose… between that which is your duty, and that which you covet most deeply.'
Suigetsu frowned. The words were no less baffling than they had been the first time he'd mulled over them, and every single time since. His crown was both his duty and what he coveted most deeply. Why would there ever be a choice or conflict of interests between the two? But he hadn't been able to establish contact with Hecate again to press her further on the meaning of her irritating riddles, for she had sent him straight back to his oceans to recuperate before he'd had a chance to ask her anything else.
One thing he did know for certain, was that his sight truly was unveiled. The furious fire of a new purpose burned within him. He would do everything within his power to make sure history never repeated itself. Madara and his minions were no longer simply the Olympians' problem. Suigetsu clearly saw what he had willingly turned a blind eye to before; Cronus was a threat to the entire world, and everything in it. It wasn't enough for him to be trapped on the summit. He needed to be disposed of - permanently.
The ocean ruler did not yet have a plan about how he was going to do that, exactly. First he would have to form an uneasy alliance with both the Olympians - and Sasuke again. He grinned at the thought of irritating the Underworld's ruler and his precious, pretty Sakura again.
Picking up another plank, Suigetsu told himself that as soon as he was done with his work in this village, he'd track down Hecate, and-
"What're you doing?"
The voice hauled him abruptly out of his thoughts, and Suigetsu tensed. Not only because he had been caught unexpectedly off guard, but because of his surprise at seeing the owner of the voice again so soon.
He turned, finding a scowling Karin standing behind him, hands on her hips. Blinking and carefully masking his disbelief, he answered sarcastically, "What's it look like? I got a new job, because nobody pays me enough. King of the Oceans by day, construction worker by night."
She cast a nervous, self-conscious glance around them.
"What if a human sees you, you idiot?" she hissed, gesturing to the flurries of water whirling around them.
"First, all their lazy hides have gone to bed," Suigetsu dismissed. "I had to fake being human during daylight, can you believe it? The time I wasted taking breaks and carrying all this crap around like a loser - there's no way I'm spending another week doing that shit. Second, y'know how long it takes humans to rebuild anything? I mean, I could fix three villages in the time it takes them to fix one lousy broken window! And three," he held up the corresponding amount of fingers. "If you're weird enough to come back, how about you keep an eye out while I finish off here?"
When Karin simply gawked at him in response, he demanded, "What are you doing here, anyway? Didn't you leave to find the kid?" Peering at her curiously, he added, "Don't tell me your dumb ass got lost?"
Karin stiffened, body lined with tension. "No. I found her just fine."
Suigetsu waited for her explanation. When she said nothing else, and proceeded to fidget restlessly with one of the straps of her backpack, he raised his eyebrows, and prompted, "Uh… yeah? So…? You're here 'cause…?"
Karin bit her lower lip, before blurting out, "I've decided to… to help!"
A weighty pause followed her declaration. Suigetsu stared at her incredulously for a long moment, before scratching his chin in bemusement.
"Huh? You mean you wanna help rebuild this village? I already told you, I'd take care of it. I'll be done with all this before the sun's up. Don't tell me you really came back all the way for that?"
"No- that's not what I meant!" The water nymph appeared oddly flustered, and shifted on her feet. "I want to stop something like this from happening in other places."
Her hands lowered to her sides, and balled into tight fists. "I mean, I want to help with the rest of it! Orochimaru still wants me for his twisted research. He'll keep sending those Zetsu bastards after me and hurt humans unless he's stopped. When they come out next, we can hunt them down and find where he's-"
"We?" Suigetsu interrupted, but the word was spoken without ridicule or jest. "No way. Nope. Nuh uh. We're not doing anything. I almost got your ass killed the last time I dragged you out on a mission. Not happening."
Karin scowled. "I'm not going to wait around for the enemy to attack the next village I stay in. Either we cooperate, or I'm going to track him alone. And I can do that just fine without your help."
An irked Suigetsu glared at her. "What the hell's wrong with you, huh? I told you we're even. I told you, go wherever you want, do whatever the hell you like, isn't that what you've always wanted? But instead you chose to come back here to tell me you want to team up, now? Are you batshit crazy? Let me handle this."
"No!" Karin erupted, visibly frustrated. "That's the problem, idiot! I can't do anything I want! Not while I'm still a target! And now that I've seen what we're up against with my own eyes, and what they can do, I can't pretend like none of it's happening. I'm sick of living looking over my shoulder, Suigetsu! That's no less freedom than being in the Underworld was!"
Suigetsu listened quietly, as she continued angrily, "I want that bastard dead for what he's done to- to everyone! Koko and her new family won't be safe, nobody will be safe, until he's taken out for good! So don't you tell me to sit back and do nothing and just wait for the next disaster to hit. This has to stop, and if that means I have to find him alone, then that's what I'm going to do! This is as much my problem, as it is everyone else's, damnit!"
Silence followed her outburst, in which Suigetsu stared long and hard at her, the expression on his face unreadable. She was breathing heavily, and there was a determination and fire in her eyes that matched the resolve that coursed through his own veins.
He had no doubt that Karin would seek out the enemy alone. It was not what he had wished for her to do, or what he had anticipated she would do. He had wanted her to find the human child and leave, to start a new life elsewhere, somewhere far away - but he knew, just as well as Karin did, that the enemy would continue to hunt her.
She would be in no less danger by tagging along with him, for Suigetsu's eye wasn't just on destroying all of Orochimaru's subjects. He would hunt down Obito, and then go after Cronus himself. But at least, he reasoned to himself, if the irritating nymph was by his side, he could neutralise any attempts by the enemy to catch her off-guard and capture her, by whisking her to the safety of the oceans at any time.
His eyes drifted over her, noting that every inch of her was on edge. As if she fully expected him to mock and ridicule her, to blow off her request and make fun of her sudden noble ambitions.
But Suigetsu did no such thing. Instead, he surprised her by saying quietly, "You sure you wanna sign up for this, Karin?" Prowling toward her, he added, "I'm not just stopping at Orochimaru. I'm going after the rest of Cronus' freak show, too. It's gonna be hella dangerous."
Karin raised her chin defiantly as he drew to a stop before her.
"You're damned right it's going to be dangerous," she agreed. "For those stupid bastards!"
Suigetsu met her gaze, and flashed her a sharp-toothed, approving grin.
~x~
"I'm nervous," Sakura confessed.
After they had finally succeeded in dragging themselves out of bed to bathe, Sasuke had ordered a servant to fetch Ume and Chizu to assist Sakura with dressing in the changing room of the King's suite, before he'd disappeared through the opening on the opposite side of the antechamber to do the same.
The hour had arrived. Sasuke had confirmed that Shisui and Itachi were waiting for them. Sakura was finally going to meet Sasuke's older brother and cousin.
Her handmaids had picked out a romantic peacock-blue formal gown. The transparent over-skirt was studded with sequins that resembled glistening stars against the deeply-hued fabric of the second underskirt. Long, flowing chiffon cape sleeves trailed behind Sakura's slender shoulders, and the gown's figure-flattering, V-shaped neckline and belt were stitched with sparkling sapphire stones and luminous pearls.
Sakura's hair, worn in a pretty cascading waterfall braid, was laced with pearls and yet more exquisite gems, complementing the platinum and sapphire teardrop earrings in her ears and the matching choker at her neck. Velvet blue sandals were secured to her feet, and a faint dusting of dewy cosmetics completed the look.
"Whatever for, Mistress?" Ume questioned, as she carefully applied one final layer of kohl eyeliner to frame Sakura's eyes, before dabbing a little more shimmering blush powder to the apples of her rosy cheeks.
Sakura turned her face away, allowing Chizu to spritz a divine smelling fragrance all over her, before both ladies in waiting stepped back to admire their work.
"I'm meeting his family. What if they don't like me?" Sakura worried, biting her lower lip as she turned to examine her reflection.
Ino would take one look at her outfit and eat her heart out, Sakura thought fondly to herself, desperately rueing that her best friend could not be present at that moment with her. As usual, Ume and Chizu had worked their magic, drenching Sakura in the riches and finery that befit her station as the King's lover. But on the inside, her frayed nerves were anything but polished and perfect. They were a jumbled wreck.
She knew she had met Thanatos and Hypnos briefly in the past, but their meetings had been under entirely different circumstances. It would be the first time that she truly interacted with the pair on neutral ground. They had acted to save her life - but Sakura knew they had done that for Sasuke and for the sake of upholding life on the surface. They did not know her personally, and she did not know them. She knew only how important they were to Sasuke, as well as the tales of how brilliant, valiant and noble they had been.
It was unnerving, knowing that she was about to encounter the same formidable pair who, along with Zeus and Hera, had not only ensured that she would be reborn, but succeeded in doing the impossible - outsmarting the cunning Cronus himself and lending an era of peace to the surface as a result. The crushing pressure to leave a favourable impression left Sakura feeling highly anxious.
Chizu and Ume exchanged amused looks.
"Of course they will like you, Mistress!" Ume nodded enthusiastically. "I am certain they will love you as their own sister!"
"I have heard that they are very civil," Chizu assured her. "You have naught to fret over, my Lady."
"They are dreadfully handsome too," Ume whispered, giggling shyly. "They have all the servant girls in quite the tizzy, hoping to steal looks between their chores!"
"Hush, child," Chizu scolded, though she appeared just as amused.
Of course they were good-looking, Sakura mused to herself. They were Uchiha. It was obvious that the entire clan had been ridiculously blessed in the genetics department. Arguably the only favourable quality any of them had inherited from the barbaric Cronus.
Sakura offered the two a watery smile, before gulping at her reflection. Logically speaking, she knew she had nothing to be apprehensive about. But she could not help but feel that way regardless. They would also be supervising her return to immortality. Their sheer significance, and the grandeur of their station, were intimidating enough.
"It is still such a shock, is it not?" Ume curled a final strand of Sakura's hair again with an iron tong that had been heated in the fireplace. "That the royal princes are returned."
"Quite so," Chizu agreed. "We are pleased for the Master, even if this magic is beyond our comprehension."
Movement at the drapes concealing the dressing room's opening caught Sakura's attention, and she met Sasuke's gaze in the mirror's reflection. He was dressed in a velvet, dark-blue tunic which perfectly complemented the hue of her own dress. Beneath the tunic he wore darker, navy trousers which were cut to a closer fit beneath the knees, allowing them to be tucked into long black leather boots.
In his left earlobe glinted silver and sapphire earrings. Intricate patterns decorated his tunic, and ornate, dark silver vambraces were affixed to his forearms. Attached to the leather belt at his waist was the jewelled scabbard of his trusty Kusanagi blade, and a long, deep navy cloak was fastened around his shoulders, its collar stitched with silver and studded with tiny midnight blue gems.
Sakura felt a warm, velvet cloak of a slightly lighter hue drape around her own shoulders, as Chizu secured it with a pearl brooch. Then Ume and Chizu turned and curtsied low to their king, but his eyes were drinking up Sakura alone, in an unhurried, devouring manner that set her senses sizzling on slow-burn, and made her heart swell with a love so ferocious, she was certain it might burst.
"Sakura." He uttered her name like seduction, like delicious sin, and was already turning to go to his side, even before he had bid her to join him. "Come."
~x~
To Sakura's surprise, they headed out of the palace and made their way to the stables to collect their horses, where she noted that two of the dread steeds were missing. She supposed it was unsurprising, given that Sasuke had told her Nyctaeus and Orphnaeus belonged to his brother and cousin, respectively.
"Where are we meeting them?" Sakura questioned curiously, as they climbed onto their mounts and began to lead them towards the gates of the palace.
"Lethe," Sasuke replied.
"Lethe?" Sakura was nonplussed. It seemed an odd choice of location for reintroductions.
There was a pause, before Sasuke elaborated quietly, "We must lay Chiyo to rest."
Sakura's lips parted. "Oh…" she whispered. Chiyo.
Her chest constricted with sadness. The deep pain of losing Kakashi and Hecate had temporarily been diverted by the turmoil of her restored memories. An anguish dampened by the rush of overwhelming emotions that had flooded through Sakura as she had regained access to recollections from her first life.
But at the mention of the deceased goddess's name, fresh grief lanced itself through Sakura's heart. She swallowed back the sudden lump in her throat, and they departed the palace grounds in silence.
At least they were afforded an element of closure and comfort by being able to bury Chiyo, Sakura thought miserably to herself. Kakashi, robbed without warning from them, would be given no such honour.
The pair galloped through the realm, passing through shadows and mist and ghostly fields, until at last they neared the banks of the River Lethe, clearly distinguishable from its milky hue. Alastor slowed to a gentle canter, before drawing to a stop beside the waiting Nyctaeus and Orphnaeus, with Eos following his lead. Sasuke dismounted, and reached up to assist Sakura with doing the same.
Sakura's eyes were immediately drawn to the long, ceremonial, wooden canoe that rested against the riverbank, its hull decorated with fragrant blooms. Affixed to both ends of its frame were two bright torches that blazed blue flame, and inside the boat was a figure clothed in white.
The noble Hecate herself.
The air hitched in Sakura's lungs, and this time grief swept over her with the force of a devastating tsunami. It had not been a bad dream. Chiyo was well and truly gone.
Movement beside the boat then directed Sakura's attention to what she had initially overlooked. Standing with their backs turned to Sasuke and Sakura, were two tall figures cloaked in black.
Sakura's heart skipped a beat. One of them was occupied with gently lowering a final wreath of flowers into the canoe's hull. The other turned to greet them as they approached.
"Cousin," he began. "The preparations were made, as you requested-"
Abruptly he broke off, instantly taking note of Sakura's presence. Blinking, he straightened, before striding toward them with fluid grace.
Sakura froze as he drew near. Her skin prickled, overcome by the sweeping, chilling memory of the last time she had encountered the very same deity in the flesh. It had been just before her first death.
"You..." she breathed in a whisper, not even registering that the word had fallen from her lips, for at that moment her mind was overrun by the pain of the seals that had been placed upon her, the recollection so powerful that it paralysed her in place. Unable to speak anything else, she could only look on in thunderstruck, wide-eyed disbelief, thrown from the whiplash of mourning Chiyo's passing, to the astonishment of meeting Sasuke's older cousin in person.
Shisui seemed both unchanged and yet nothing like what she remembered. Unruly locks of mid-length, messy, wavy dark hair fell over sharp, feline-like, coal-black eyes that were framed by thick, dark lashes. Sakura vividly remembered those shrewd, penetrating eyes, the same eyes that had burned into her mind as she had lay dying in her immortal body. There was a brightness and clarity to them that was most unnerving, his astute gaze intent and knowing, even as a polite, amiable smile graced his full lips.
Gone was the mask that had once shrouded his face in mystery, and what was revealed in its place left no doubt as to Shisui's lineage as a pure-blooded Uchiha. His defined features were ruggedly handsome, wickedly so. They bore a clear blood-resemblance to Sasuke's in their straight, sculpted planes, yet his brow was deeper set, and his jawline was harsher and stronger, making it apparent that he was noticeably older than his cousin.
Regal, formal black garb cloaked his form, the rich material decorated with intricate silver stitching. The lobes of his ears were adorned with multiple silver and onyx earrings, and his hands were concealed beneath black gloves. Dressed in finery, he looked every inch the gallant Underworld prince, as if he had stepped straight out of the pages of a mythical fairytale. But it wasn't his fiendishly good looks that had Sakura so stunned. It was the way encountering him again dragged her back to the harrowing moment of her original demise, the way that agonising memory made her heart race. And to see him in person, living and breathing again after being deceased for over two thousand years, was nothing short of stupefying to behold.
Drawing to a stop before her, Shisui courteously bowed his head. Giving her a kind and terribly disarming smile, he greeted, "Honoured daughter of the Lady Demeter. It is good to see you again."
At her delayed reply, his dark eyebrows quirked, and Sakura realised with a dismayed jolt that she had been staring at him in open shock.
Releasing the breath she hadn't even acknowledged she'd been holding, she quickly dropped into a low curtsy, grateful for the dimness of their surroundings, and the way it concealed the sudden heat that attacked her cheeks as she gasped out, "Lord Hypnos."
Shisui chuckled, a sound as cool and luxurious as silk. "Come, now. There's certainly no need for that. Shisui will do. Please, rise."
His voice, smooth and pleasant, had a soothing, almost melodious cadence to it. Sakura slowly straightened, only to be caught entirely off-guard when Shisui extended to her the stem of the large, fragrant, purple flower he'd been holding in his gloved left hand.
She blinked at it in surprise, before casting an uncertain glance at Sasuke, who was watching her. He appeared unfazed by his cousin's chivalrous antics, as if such exaggerated displays of formality and decorum were to be entirely expected from his kin.
"A bloom, for the lady to pay her respects." Shisui prompted. "Though, dare I say, that soon she shall be able to summon her own."
A twinkle danced in his eye as he referenced her forthcoming restoration to immortality. Sakura accepted the flower with a tense, nervous smile, feeling all at once ill-prepared to converse with him. She was standing in the presence of a legendary hero, the same half of the pair who had locked away her memories and gifts. Hypnos radiated effortless confidence and easy charm, and from the friendly greeting he had given to her, Sakura was relieved to find that he appeared to be of a warm, laid-back disposition. Yet she was also conscious of how lethal and cunning a warrior he was - and the terrifying ability his Sharingan possessed to sway minds and manipulate a person's thoughts.
There was something undeniably displacing about an immortal who was capable of swaying from gentle kindness to absolute ruthlessness.
"I take it all went well, and you now have full possession of your past memories?" Shisui enquired.
"Yes," Sasuke answered for her.
"Excellent." Shisui nodded. "We have already sent word to your good mother to make preparations for your divine reawakening. It shan't be long, now."
When Sakura simply continued to stare at him, he glanced at Sasuke in bemusement, before offering, "Ah. Are you quite alright?"
The question cut through the daze of Sakura's thoughts, hauling her from a hurricane of unpleasant recollections.
"Huh?" She finally blurted out, mortified beyond measure by the impolite start she had gotten off to by unintentionally gaping at the resurrected prince. "Yes! Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry, it's just…" Her voice trailed, and she shook her head at him again in muted disbelief.
"A shock?" Shisui said kindly. "I understand." This time his smile was smaller, and tight with regret. "Would that we were reacquainted under happier circumstances, yet it would appear that death must blight our every encounter."
Behind him, the other individual had finished tending to the canoe and turned away from the boat. As he took measured, unhurried strides to join them, Sakura was once again overcome with a disorientating wave of déjà vu, sucked back to a point in the past that had almost completely destroyed her existence.
Like Shisui, he was as regal and dignified in bearing as was to be expected of an Underworld prince. The shoulders, high collar and hem of his black cloak were woven with rich, glinting golden filigree threads, which complemented the multiple gold and obsidian piercings adorning both his earlobes. His long, straight dark hair was gathered back atop his head by an ornate, burnt-gold clasp, secured in a high tail that cascaded down his back. Chin-length, raven strands were parted centrally at his forehead, framing the sides of a face that was the polar opposite of the hideous caricature mortals depicted Death to be.
There was something darkly ethereal, yet undeniably perilous, about the original harbinger of death. A haunting, enigmatic, and almost tragic air of stillness and devastation about him. Like the serene surface of an inviting lake, beneath which lurked unseen and unknown secrets.
The resemblance between Sasuke and his sibling - both in their colourings, as well as the chiselled bone-structure of their faces - was striking. Yet Itachi stood taller, and was clearly older. His anthracite eyes, framed by heavy lashes so thick, dark and long it was as though they were rimmed with kohl, were both quietly perceptive and startling to behold.
When that cool, magnetising stare settled upon Sakura, it felt to her that Death did not look simply at her, but entirely through her, as if she were spun of the finest glass. A most perturbing sensation that prompted fresh prickles of discomfort to surface over her body. Like Hecate, Thanatos was tied to The Fates by virtue of his role, which meant his probing eyes were far-seeing. Within their light-devouring depths glimmered a heavy, solemn wisdom that seemed as old as the night itself. Deceptively beautiful - yet more perilous than any blade in the cruel spells they were capable of weaving over the senses, for Sakura knew his Sharingan commanded the power to distort the line between reality and illusion.
Thanatos had been the one to abduct her from the surface in her first life, the one who had delivered her to Cronus. Both he and Hypnos had hunted her down in the Underworld when she had tried to make her escape from the palace - and yet she had been made to forget those things. But fresh icy recollection slammed into her upon seeing them standing together again, snatching the breath from her lungs. Beyond the polished finery, beyond the perfectly composed and cultivated exteriors, she recalled the unmistakable air of danger that had always lingered over the pair.
The same, all-consuming aura of darkness pulsed like electrically charged static from Thanatos' form, rippling outwards like freezing, stifling, invisible coils of roiling smoke in the immediate vicinity around him. Deadly and capable of wilting any living thing it touched, withheld only by a will of iron. And Sakura suddenly wasn't certain whether it was her mortal body - recognising him as True Death - that instinctively feared the finality of the end he represented - or whether it was the memory of those very same eyes sealing her doom that set her heart barrelling against her ribcage.
The divine aura that accompanied Shisui's presence was no less formidable. More stable in its nature, almost misleading in how mellow and tranquil it could be - yet equally wrought of shadow and power. As if he were capable of being both the calm and the devastating storm. Both salvation and mercy, destruction and ruin.
Before her stood the elite of the Uchiha clan, the very warriors Madara had chosen to accompany him to the summit of Olympus. The same princes that had betrayed the Titan. Yet Sakura was rattled by the ghost of the debilitating sense of terror she recalled experiencing when she'd last been in their company. She had once deeply feared them, and had to forcefully give her mind a mental shake to return it to the present, reminding herself that unlike the final time she had seen them shortly before her demise, Shisui and Itachi were now known friends and allies of Olympus who meant her no harm. They had only done what was necessary to save her. They were Sasuke's family, and could be trusted.
She knew it. She knew that the unease that plagued her was irrational, that it belonged to another time. A reality that was no longer.
It's alright, she willed her pounding heart to settle. You're alright. It's just your body's reaction to a traumatic memory. You're safe. Breathe.
'Sakura.' Sasuke's voice echoed in her mind, for he had noted how the blood had drained from her cheeks at the sight of his elder brother.
'I'm fine', she telepathically reassured him. 'It's just- standing here with them reminds me of the everything I felt when I died. Their eyes were the last thing I saw before everything faded... I'm sorry. I just need a minute to process it.'
She felt his gaze linger on her, but he said nothing else before turning his attention toward his sibling. Sakura slowly exhaled, emotionally grounding herself, and clutched the bloom to her chest as if it were the only anchor she had to reality at that moment, when Itachi drew up beside his cousin, and inclined his head courteously in polite greeting.
"Well met," he murmured. The timbre of his voice was rich, dark and deep, and more quietly-spoken than both of his kin.
No sooner had he spoken, Sakura felt a peculiar calmness wash over her. As if the adrenaline had all at once been drained from her bloodstream. She blinked in confusion, realising her heartbeat had gently slowed to a more normal rhythm. She looked at Itachi, whose composed expression revealed nothing. But she knew it had to be his power that had soothed the agitation of her mortal pulse. Glancing at Sasuke, she found him watching her intently, and realised with a start that he must have silently asked his brother to assist in regulating her heartbeat.
Before she could respond to Itachi's greeting however, Shisui supplied in a teasing tone, "You need not curtsy and address him as Thanatos, either. We care not for the old court formalities. It was Madara who enforced such tedious hierarchies. Now, we only bow to the throne."
Sakura swallowed, shaking her head again in bewilderment as her eyes darted between Sasuke's resurrected kin. She had so much to say to them, and yet, eclipsed in the shadow of their combined presence, the words evaded her. For how did one even start? How could she even begin thanking the very individuals who had bound her to an endless cycle of suffering - and in doing so, ensured that she would be reunited with Sasuke and reawaken her divinity again?
Shisui, who had also noted her obvious discomfort, soothed, "Be at ease, young Kore. I know we did not last meet under the best of circumstances. We hope that you now understand, however, why it was imperative we carried out our actions under the guise of serving our common enemy. We offer our sincerest apologies for the distress and pain our actions have caused you, for the lifetimes you have endured as a mortal - but truly we knew of no other way to ensure your survival. Be assured that we have ever been allies to Olympus. You have no reason to fear us."
"Sakura..." Sakura got out. With the phantom fear neutralised within her body, she finally succeeded in reeling in the turbulence of her conflicting emotions. "Please, call me Sakura."
Shisui gave her another small, dimpled smile. "As you wish. We are pleased to formally make your acquaintance at last." Shooting a glance at his youngest cousin, he added lightly, "Sasuke has told us so little about you."
Beside her, Sasuke retorted flatly, "You knew enough to seal my memories away."
"Ah, but it is quite one matter knowing of it, another to hear the story recounted firsthand. And since your brother and I hold absolutely no hope of you ever disclosing a single detail to us, we shall have to rely instead on Sakura's kindness and version of events."
"Hn," Sasuke dismissed.
Sakura blinked, pleasantly surprised. Already she was picking up on hints that Shisui possessed sharp wit as well as a wicked sense of humour, and predicted that he would be easy to get along with. Her gaze then flicked briefly onto the quieter, more solemn Itachi. Sasuke had always adored and looked up to his honourable older brother, but it was apparent that getting to know him would perhaps prove to be decidedly more difficult. While Sasuke came across as standoffish, Itachi appeared to be more quietly reserved and formal in his nature.
"I'd be happy to answer your questions. And… please. Forgive me, I didn't mean to stare so rudely. It's not that I'm afraid now. It's just- I was remembering the last time I saw you both, before I knew the truth. When you placed the seals on me, and everything I believed back then, and now…" She exhaled, shaking her head in amazement once more. "I can't believe you're both back, that I have the chance to actually talk to you like this. It doesn't feel real."
"An astonishing turn of events, indeed," Shisui remarked. "No apologies are necessary. We understand. It does not elude us that you have had a great deal to come to terms with, within a short period of time."
Sakura nodded gratefully, taking another moment to compose herself, before she pressed a palm earnestly to her heart. Finally, she found the words that had eluded her.
"I'm… honoured," she began sincerely. "So honoured to finally meet you both. I'm here because of you." She glanced at Sasuke. "We found each other again because of you. Everything you did for us, for Olympus, for the whole world… sacrificing your own lives for the sake of peace, I…" She finished in a whisper, overcome with emotion as she bowed her head respectfully to them, "Thank you. Thank you so much for everything."
Hypnos and Thanatos both inclined their heads in acknowledgement.
"The bond you share with our Hades makes you family." Shisui smiled, touching Sakura with the kindness of his words.
"And rest assured, we always protect our own. That is the way of the Uchiha." Pausing, he corrected, "Well. Most Uchiha. Madara is an unfortunate exception to the rule. He would much rather slaughter his own. But we shall have time enough to become acquainted, and to discuss the problem of our delightful patriarch."
Shisui then swept a hand back toward the canoe. "Please. We did not wish to release her to the river before you could pay your respects. She was fond of you, and your mother. We will give you a moment."
Sakura nodded gratefully. Clutching the flower Shisui had given to her close to her chest, she took a deep breath then began to walk with Sasuke toward the canoe as Itachi and Shisui lingered behind to allow them some privacy to say their farewells.
Reaching the boat, she looked down to find Chiyo surrounded by blooms. Her silver hair was neatly brushed, and her expression was serene. As if she was simply sleeping.
Seeing her lifeless corpse up close immediately released the dam that had been withholding the flood of Sakura's grief at bay. Hot tears welled in her eyes. Chiyo had done so much for her, so much for them all. An aching sadness weighed heavily inside Sakura's chest, as she came to terms with the fact that this would likely be the last time she ever looked upon Hecate's face. Once Lethe took her away, she would not be returned to them.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, as thick tears began to spill down her cheeks. "I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry that you had to give up your life to save ours. I'm sorry that you died alone, that I couldn't speak to you one last time and-" She broke off, body shuddering with the effort to keep her sobs suppressed.
After a moment, she felt Sasuke's hand rest on her shoulder. She drew strength from his wordless comfort, and they both stood in silence for a few minutes, the hush broken only by Sakura's sniffles.
Wiping at her eyes and nose, Sakura rallied her composure, and continued thickly, "I remember now, who I was. I remember when you'd visit my mother's temple, and the things you used to say to me. Things I never understood then about being more than I was… but I think I understand now. I know what I have to do. And I promise you, I won't stop fighting. We won't stop fighting." As Sasuke lowered his hand, she caught hold of it, squeezing it tightly to symbolise their union and solidarity.
"We'll fight for the world, to protect all the good in it. We'll fight for humans and their afterlives. We'll fight for the oceans. And we'll fight for you. We won't ever let your sacrifice become meaningless. We'll keep fighting until Cronus is defeated, until every realm is safe from him. No matter how long it takes. I promise."
Gripping tightly onto the edge of the canoe, she paused again, before choking out, "I'm going to miss you. Your wisdom and kindness. Even the riddles that drove us all crazy. Thank you, Lady Chiyo, for saving this realm, for the hope that you've given back to us. For giving Sasuke-kun his family back. For all the things you taught me, for everything you've done for me, for us, for the world. Thank you for everything."
She began to lower the flower in her hand - only to pause. Glancing at Sasuke beside her, Sakura saw that his shadowy gaze was fixed onto Chiyo's face. The muscles in his jaw were tightly clenched. Perhaps he had said his own private, internal farewells.
Looking at him, she suddenly realised that she wasn't the one who needed to place the final flower into the burial boat. He was.
Wiping again at her tears, she held the stem out to Sasuke. He blinked, startled out of his thoughts, and she saw him visibly hesitate.
"Go on," she told him softly, encouragingly. She knew how immensely fond Chiyo had been of Sasuke, despite their many differences.
Sasuke's Adam apple bobbed as he swallowed thickly. Wordlessly he accepted the stem, and gently lowered it into the canoe, placing it over Chiyo's clasped hands. Then he gripped the sides of the boat, and bowed his head in respect.
"She looks so peaceful." A small, pained smile graced Sakura's lips. "I hope that she's watching over us somehow, somewhere. I hope we can make her proud."
Sasuke was silent. They stood together for a while, gazing pensively down at Chiyo, until Sasuke finally turned his head, in a non-verbal gesture to his waiting brother and cousin that they had finished paying their respects.
Sakura stood back, watching with a heavy heart, as the three gods began to push the ceremonial boat into the river's sacred, silent waters.
"We honour you, Lady Hecate," Itachi murmured.
"We honour your great and noble sacrifice." Shisui said. "And we vow, upon our lives and honour, that you shall be avenged. May Lethe carry you to rest in eternal peace."
They gave the boat one final push before releasing it, and then they all quietly watched together as the ethereal waters began to carry Hecate's corpse away.
Sakura's eyes blurred with fresh tears, and she gripped Sasuke's warm hand for strength and comfort, as Chiyo's canoe finally vanished out of their line of sight, taking a part of Sakura away with it.
~x~
Author's Note
Reviews would be awesome. See you next chapter.